Natalia Tena

After her debut in About a Boy (2002), Natalia Tena had parts in a number of British film and theater productions. Her biggest role to date has been that of Nymphadora Tonks in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007).

SEX APPEAL

SUCCESS

Natalia Tena Biography

Natalia Gastiain Tena grew up in a bilingual household with Spanish parents: Jesus, a carpenter, and Maria, a UN secretary. From an early age, Natalia showed a creative intelligence -- in addition to her fluency in English and Spanish, she became proficient in playing the piano, violin and accordion.

Natalia was sent to Bedales, a prestigious boarding school for the arts in Hampshire, England. While there, Natalia, who received good grades with little effort, began to act out. But instead of being disciplined when one of her teachers caught her smoking, Natalia was encouraged to audition to play a rebellious schoolgirl in About a Boy -- and she got the part -- alongside Hugh Grant and Rachel Weisz.

After being rejected by a number of drama schools, Natalia almost moved to Australia to study philosophy and psychology. But a romance with an actor Natalia had met in an audition compelled her to stay home and pursue acting. In 2004, she caught her big break in the play Gone to Earth, which toured the UK. For the next few years, Natalia built her reputation in various plays, television shows and films in Great Britain.

Natalia was launched into international stardom after playing Nymphadora Tonks in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), costarring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. She knew nothing about Harry Potter when she first auditioned, but Natalia’s wild energy quickly landed her the part, which she will reprise in 2008's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.